The Thiel Trough (81°30′S 57°0′W) is a submarine trough trending NE-SW with depths reaching to 1,500 metres below sea level. The trough extends southwest from about 7630S, 3500W, in the Weddell Sea; underlies Filchner Ice Shelf and the south part of Ronne Ice Shelf, south of Henry Ice Rise; and continues west to about 8300S, 8500W, near Martin Hills. The portion northeast of the Henry Ice Rise was discovered in 1957-58 by a U.S. traverse party from Ellsworth Station and named "Crary Trough" after Albert P. Crary, chief scientist with the United States Antarctic Research Program (USARP). The southwest portion was traced by U.S. seismic traverse parties, 1958–64, and the whole delineated in greater detail by the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI)-National Science Foundation (NSF)-Technical University of Denmark (TUD) airborne radio echo sounding program, 1967–79. The name "Crary Trough" was later set aside by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) at the suggestion of Crary, who recommended that the entire trough be named after Edward C. Thiel (1928–1961). Thiel was the chief seismologist at Ellsworth Station from 1956 to 1958, the leader of the traverse party that discovered this feature, and he died in an air crash at Wilkes Station in Antarctica. This article incorporates public domain material from "Thiel Trough". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
earth science
Thiel Trough
Thiel Trough is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thiel Trough rather than just read about it. In short: The Thiel Trough (81°30′S 57°0′W) is a submarine trough trending NE-SW with depths reaching to 1,500 metres below sea level. The trough extends southwest from about 7630S, 3500W, in the Weddell Sea; underlies Filchner Ice Shelf and the south part of Ronne Ice Shelf, south of Henry Ice Rise; and continues west to about 8300S, 8500W, near Martin Hills.
Key takeaways
- Thiel Trough belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
- Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
- Connect Thiel Trough to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
- Reproduce the core statement of Thiel Trough from memory before moving on to harder problems.
Reference excerpt
Worked examples
Example 1 — a first encounter with Thiel Trough
Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thiel Trough claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.
Example 2 — changing one variable
Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thiel Trough before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.
Example 3 — an exam-style question
Typical questions about Thiel Trough ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.
Applications of Thiel Trough
- In research
- Thiel Trough appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
- In technology and industry
- Engineering practice reuses Thiel Trough in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
- In the classroom
- Thiel Trough is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Marine geography stubs, Oceanic basins of the Southern Ocean, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
- In everyday life
- Look for Thiel Trough outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Thiel Trough in 20 minutes
- Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
- Close the page and write down what Thiel Trough means in your own words.
- Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
- Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
- Explain Thiel Trough out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Thiel Trough in simple terms?
The Thiel Trough (81°30′S 57°0′W) is a submarine trough trending NE-SW with depths reaching to 1,500 metres below sea level. The trough extends southwest from about 7630S, 3500W, in the Weddell Sea; underlies Filchner Ice Shelf and the south part of Ronne Ice Shelf, south of Henry Ice Rise; and con…
Why does Thiel Trough matter?
Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.
How should I study Thiel Trough?
Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.
What does this page cover?
It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thiel Trough.
Tags
- Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf
- Marine geography stubs
- Oceanic basins of the Southern Ocean